James Allison
James Allison was a former member of the NCR Army in which he served for many years with distinction, being a good leader for his men. After some disputes, he decided to settle down in a small village in northern Nevada, located near the important trade-route the locals called the Ash Line. He is the leader and creator of the group of law enforcers called the Iron Snipers and continues to train his men with the knowledge the NCR gave him. He sometimes thinks back with nostalgia about his childhood, when his family still lived in the relative safety of California, but he likes his new home just as much. He also likes making trips to the nearby city of Junction and look around at the marketplace. Appearance Over the years, especially during his time in the sun-baked regions of Dusthall, his skin has turned into a tanned mix of several scars and scratches. Although he looked good in his younger years, James is now a more average man, but still, he easily managed to find his true love, which he married. He is a normal sized, broad-shouldered man, but is a little skinny. He has short black hair in a buzz cut and has brown eyes. His vision was perfect during his time in the NCR, but now he mostly wears glasses. History Youth James Allison was born in 2238 in a simple farming village near Shady Sands. He led a safe, sheltered childhood until he turned 8. In 2246, on a day when the entire Allison family was at home-James and his mother and father- two NCR troopers were wandering around their house. The 2 soldiers were on break and were already drunk. When the 2 wanted to come inside, the father decided it would be best just to oblige with the men's wishes, in the hopes of not making them angry and pull their guns out in their intoxicated state. The soldiers stayed for a while, drinking most of the liquor that was in the house, and they didn't cause too much trouble, but when suddenly one of the troopers decided it would be fine to rape James' mother, the thing went out of hand. James' father punched the soldier in the face and pulled him away from his wife, this enraged the 2 drunken soldiers. They pulled out their assault rifles, but before they could pull their triggers, the father quickly pulled out a shotgun and shot them both. They dropped dead like flies. The Allisons quickly gathered their belongings and left the house. A few hours later they were already many miles away from their home. For several years the Allison family managed to lay low, avoiding most NCR patrols. They didn't know if they were actually wanted, but they were afraid that if they did get caught, and the NCR knew about the murder of the 2 soldiers, James' father would be sent to jail or worse, face the firing squad. Eventually, they settled down in a peaceful village near the NCR border with Nevada and the Mojave Wasteland. Having finally found a place to begin their lives again, the Allisons decided to live there forever. But 2 years later, when James was 17, NCR troopers visited the village to enlist all men who were old enough into the Army, to be sent to the front lines. NCR didn't know he and his family lived in the village, so James decided to go with the soldiers so that he wouldn't cause any problems that could lead to his father being arrested. Although he hated the NCR, James became an NCR trooper at the age of 17 in the year 2255. Service in the NCR After serving several years in the NCR Army, he had been promoted to First Sergeant. He had worked his way up to this position, simply by earning the respect of his fellow soldiers and being a clever and hard working soldier. In 2274, after he had worked his way up to First Sergeant, he and a group of NCR soldiers were tasked to kill a group of Legionnaires in the Mojave desert, near the Colorado River. The NCR reports said there were only 2 or 3 contubernia (16 or 24) of Legion forces stationed there, so James was sent in together with 39 troopers. They were ambushed. Apparently, Legion scouts had discovered their position before the attack. After receiving this information, the Legion had sent reinforcements, consisting of 5 contubernia (40 men), across the Colorado. When James and his men arrived at the Legion camp, they were jumped from 2 sides by 50 Legionnaires. James, who had been walking in the back of the NCR formation, managed to find cover, escaping the carnage. Eventually, together with the troopers, he pulled together, James managed to kill 30 of the legionnaires and their Vexillarius as well, making the rest flee for their lives. Because most of the higher officers were killed during this battle, the Battle of Canyon 83, NCR Command decorated him for valor and granted him a commission, promoting him to Second Lieutenant. He continued to serve with distinction and between his performance and attrition amongst NCR ranks, he moved up the ranks within a few years to become a Major. In 2279, he was the leader of the expeditionary force that was sent to northern Nevada. After being stationed there in the town of Dusthall for a couple of weeks, James and his men were starting to run low on supplies. But when he asked his commanding general, who wasn't the brightest of the bunch, his request for extra supplies was denied. A few days later, Dusthall was fiercely attacked by a local raider gang. This was later called the Battle of Massacre Ridge (because many civilians and soldiers lost their lives that day and Dusthall was located near a small canyon). Because of these events, NCR Command lost their faith in James. He had been nominated for Ranger training because James had proven to be a capable marksman and reconnaissance expert ( This was from his experience in avoiding NCR patrols during his later youth). This nomination was scratched. Breaking with the NCR James had enough of putting up with NCR bullshit and decided to retire. His squad in Grey Battalion followed him, and all 25 troopers retired as well. NCR decided there was nothing of interest in northern Nevada, and pulled their forces out of the area, leaving James and his men behind. In 2279, James and his squad created a mercenary group, which they called the Iron Snipers. They named it this way, because the local guard in Dusthall, the Summit Watchers, had an old saying: 'to snipe iron', which means performing the best you can, and being the best. This was derived from the guard training, where the soldiers practiced on 3 shooting discs. The smallest one, and therefore the hardest to hit, was made of iron. Anyone who managed to hit it was given the title of 'Iron Sniper'. By 2281, they have expanded their territory and called it Greyland, after their old battalion, this was mostly to mock the NCR if they would ever return. They have made Dusthall into a thriving city and have also created many new settlements, all under the leadership of James Allison. Equipment James always carries his trusty Hunting Rifle and plenty of .356 ammo for it. To protect himself while patrolling Dusthall, or when he's simply sitting behind his desk, he wears a suit of leather armor. When he got older, James started noticing his vision was getting worse, so he found himself a good pair of glasses and wears them constantly when awake. Hidden in his boots you will mostly find either a pair of knives or a 10-mm pistol as James likes to be well-prepared for a battle with anyone dumb enough to think he can take over the city. Quotes From Category:Characters